Introduction

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of the most influential and controversial novels of the nineteenth century; it is also one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted. It has been vivisected critically by latter-day Victor Frankensteins who have transformed the meanings emergent from the novel into monsters of post-modern misconception. Meanwhile Franken-feminists have turned the novel into a monster of misanthropy. Seldom has a work of fiction suffered so scandalously from the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism.

Plot Summary

Victor Frankenstein has long sought the answer to creating new life. When he finally achieves his goal, he’s horrified by the results and abandons his creation, ready to forget what he’s done. But when tragedy befalls his family, Victor returns home to discover his creation is hiding nearby. To save his family from further despair, Frankenstein’s creature asks him to do the one thing he swore he never would do again.

Thematic Questions

Mary Shelley’s novel explores with chilling dimensions the questions that reside at our core. What is the fabric of life and the soul? Where are the limits of our imagination? Can man’s reach shatter the boundaries between science, nature and God?